Brake-beam support



Oct. 8, 1929. w. JYSTEBLER BRAKE BEAM SUPPORT Filed July 22, 1927 WITNESSES Patented Oct. 8, 1929 UNITED STA ES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM J. STEBLER, F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF ONE-FOURTH TO WALTER J. 'GURLEY, ONE-EIGHTH TO ROBERT ROGERS, ONE-EIGHTH TO M. MCLAUGHLIN, ALL OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA A. HERALD AND ONE-FOURTH TO 11,5.

BRAKE-BEAM SUPPORT Application filed July 22, 1927. Serial No. 207,629.

This invention relates to safety guards for preventing the falling of brake beams of railway car trucks. The objects of the invention are in part to provide a simple,

strong, economically manufactured, easily attached and detached, guard for the purpose stated. Another object is to provide such a guard in a form that can be readily attached to and detached from the standard spring planks of railwaycar trucks. Another object is to provide'a guard which may be attached or detached without special tools, by a single workman, and without requiring special construction in the spring plank or any other of the car truck parts, and not requiring any later modification, such as the drilling of holes or the providing of lugs thereon or notches therein.

These and other advantages of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following specification.

Fig. 1 is a cross section of a spring plank of a railway car truck, showing the brake beam safety guard attached thereto; Figs. 2, 3 and 4 show modifications of the support-s,

similarly applied.

The drawing shows a vertical cross section througha standard form of spring plank,

and a side elevation of the brake beam guard i constituting this inventionin completed form and assembled on the spring plank in operative position. I

As is well known to those familiar with this art, brake beams of railway car trucks 5 sometimes become loosened, due to failure of supporting links, or other causes, and one or both ends of the brake beam falls. This produces an inoperative condition of the brakes, and may also lead to an actual wreck- 40 ing of a car. In order to furnish a safety guard to catch and support the brake beam in case of accidental loosening or falling thereof, it is desirable to have a guard positioned beneath each end of each brake beam to catch and support it if it falls below its normal position. In fact-,such devices are now required. I

I Referring to the drawings, a's tandard form of spring plank P is shown in cross section. This consists of the usual upturned sides or flanges F, connected by a body portion or web between them. I l

The guard constituting this invention comprises two similar hook members H. These have upper terminal hooks 1, adapted to extend over and aroundfthe upper edges of the flanges of the spring plank as illustrated. Vertical portions 2 connect the hooks to horizontal portions 3, which seat up'on'the tops of laterally extending guard arm members 4 and 5, respectively. The guard arm memher 4 comprises a straight piece of flat spring steel having its inner end bent to form a vertical portion 6 and then a horizontal terminal portion 7 therebelow. The guard arm 5 is likewise composed of a straight piece of spring steel similar to that forming the member 4:. Its inner end'is bent at right angles to form a vertical portion 8. The two hook members H are seated upon the upper faces of the guard arms l and 5, respectively, and are rigidly attached thereto, preferably by rivets R. The vertical portions 6 and 8 of the arm members 4 and 5 areperforated to provide aligned holes adapted to receive a bolt B, the square head of which is prevented from rotation by contact with the terminal portion 7 of the member 4, and the body'of which is adapted to extend through the openings in the members 6 and 8, and to be engaged at its free end by a suitable lock nut 10. By this arrangement the attaching bolt B is entirely independent of the spring plankin the sense that it does not extend therethrough and is'not in contact therewith. vIt acts by putting tension on the support members.

The hook'members H are first forged or otherwisefabricated to the desired shape as shown in the drawings. The guard arm members 4: and 5 are likewise "shaped at their V msegroe inner ends, holes for rivets R and bolt B are provided, and the hook members are permanently attached to the guard arm members, as by the rivets R, as illustrated. They may be welded thereto, but riveting is cheaper and more certain.

Vhen this guard or brakebeam support is to be applied in operative position to a car truck, the bolt being removed, it is only necessary to slip the hooks 1 over the flanges of the spring plank, first raising the enter ends of the arm members. The hooks are not r v ted r oth se posit ely e ae e e t sp ng plank and a in ha sens dependent thereof. Then by rotating the outer arm ends downwardly about the hooks 1 as centers the inner ends or vertieal portions 6 and 8 of the arm members are brought into juxtaposition and the two parts of the device lie closely against the flanges and the W vof hesp ing pla'nlc The belt 13 is then inserted through the adjacent ends 6 and ,8 at th snppert hg armmem e e, a e le nut 19 is used to draw the adjacent ends of th tegether unt the two arm portions r g dly con cted an held firmly aga n the spring plank as shown. A certainamount 1f resi iency ill-th ve tica por ions 6 and 8 will i ure a constant tight seating f th memb rs en th spring plank and aid in preven ing lees nieg 2f t e le k nut- Te deta t e gua d iron the r k it is nly necessary in remove the single b l 1 raise he ente en s of he a ms 4 and when the part b re ly rem e W ea any pe a mole r Withou dis urb n pa o the truek- It w l he unde etee by th se with h eert that th ute ends o h gua d memb rs e end .5 exte d unde th end of ewe diff renthrak b m 01 h ame d of a ea tr ek, in P e tien t at h h nds f the brake he m he ld th y tell bel t eir lew r e r el pee ien It i l els be appar nt ha eae a m m me i r s i con uc d; n dapted t car y the weig t 0. e b ake b am a ily- There isonly the strain of keeping the two m in mem ers in po t- 91 oh he bel e eie etr ih b ng ca rie y t e m mbe 4 an and th .1 membe H e f W h are very strong.

' It will also be understood that the outer nds e We e an m y he e lin pwa to term brake beam guides, if desired.

Their length and strength will be determined 7 t e eu tth pai ieule eenditiene .t he me A' med fieet en in eehetnlet ee that does netla feet the hmetiem g at the d i may h met l i he n -teed hi ha ing h pe i'on 39 the beak members ter inate a or distan e b een th see 3-, h h ae p tions they hee fieedetl t t e end f he guard," ee xte'les ve w th the ends of guerdn emloers .4' and h, This reinforces the supporting arms. Or the portions 3 may be extended a suitable length to form guard arms, and the outer portions of members 4 and 5 may terminate with the riveted connections to members 3. In all these forms the guard arms are formed by rigid attachment of the hook and base members into integral cooperating members connected by an intermediate detachable member, These variations of structure are obvious from the de' scription given, and therefore are not illus trated- I claim: 1

1. A guard for supporting brake beams of railway trucks comprising laterally extending brake-beam support guard arms. hook members carried by and integral with said arms a nd adapted to engage the edges of the flanges of a spring plank, the inner ends of the supporting members extending downward beneath a spring plank, and .amemb'er independent of the spring plank connecting said inner ends.

2. A- safety guard i'for railway truck brake beams comprising laterally extending guard arms adapted to have their outer .endsipositio'ned beneath the ends of abrake'beams and their inner ends beneath a spring plank, said guard arms having fititl lGil inner ends downwardly turned portions haying holes ,to re: ceiye a compression vbolt, a bolt extending through said doivnwardlyextending portions,

and hoe-k membe s adapted. to engage he guard arms- A sa y guard fo brake beam en prie ng w la era y e t ig gu rd arms adapted at their enter ends to extend bee n et he en vo brak b ms a d at their nn ends to ex end b n ath spri P a said ms having integra ok m m rs adapted to extend over and around'the edges if a sprin Plank and t b lixed in posit ther by retr e mevemeh of e m membe s the ends e th arm m m s h neath the spring plank being adapted to be eeeae' l by e ten ee belt, belt edae be exte d th e s e id m mber an h leek the two sn-pporting members to each other, an 901? an belt m mber b g in p ndnt of t se ies pl eh- 4:. In a railway car truck construction comu i i s e shri e Pla k havi h r o body portion with upturned flange portions, a afe y ne d t brak b en hpp t emli LihQtji-Q ate al y ex endin igned a m members adapted to fit against the under an f he series Plank an ha ing h rtee e hi -meet adapted h age the flanges e the ee plank, d t eh hle 5. ln' a railway car truck construction com.-

prising a spring plank having a horizontal body portion With upturned flange portions, a safety guard for brake beam supports comprising two laterally aligned arm members adapted to fit against the under side of the spring plank and having extension hook members adapted to fit against the outer face of the plank flanges and to engage the edges thereof, the inner ends of the arm members being spaced apart longitudinally and a com pression bolt for connecting the adjacent ends of the arm members underneath the spring plank.

In testimony whereof, I sign my name. WVILLIAM J. STEBLER. 

